The fall National Drug Takeback Day was held on the final Saturday in October. The Washington County event was hosted at the United Presbyterian Church in Washington in conjunction with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Washington Police Department and DEA agencies. Washington County Sheriff Jared Schneider spoke this week with KCII News about why the event is important and how it works. “It’s kind of a drive-thru process that way. People pull into the parking lot and we take the prescription or over-the-counter pills that they are bringing to us. It gets medication out of homes to prevent people from maybe abusing them. It also gives a good way for people to dispose of them. We give them over to DEA and they have them incinerated. I do encourage people to try to come see us every time because that limits the number we have sitting around in medicine cabinets and homes.”
Schneider reports that the total received was just shy of 10lbs. He said that in the spring total was a little bit higher. In fall of 2021, they also received slightly more than 10lbs. Accepted items include prescription and over-the-counter medications, vape and E-cigarettes. He says that the easiest way for the items to be handled is for them to be removed from the prescription bottles and placed in plastic zipper bags. They do not accept needles. Schneider shared what people should do if they have items to get rid of before the next event. “The drop box out at the jail is probably what I would recommend. It’s no questions asked. It’s actually inside the unsecured entrance at the jail. They can just come in the front door, drop them right in the drop box, and then turn around and leave.”
The next scheduled Drug Takeback Day is April 29th, 2023.